Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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48. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider the project at Lehenaghmore and Lehenaghbeg, Togher, County Cork for inclusion in the next round of grants under the specific improvement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22246/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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​The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in its area is a statutory function of local authorities in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993.  Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants.  The initial selection and prioritisation of projects to be funded from these monies is a matter for each local authority.

As I have indicated the cutbacks in State funding for regional and local roads since the financial crisis has resulted in the grant programmes for new regional and local road improvement schemes and for major realignment schemes being curtailed in order to protect the funding available for the maintenance of the existing network. In this context my Department is not operating an annual application process at present under the Specific and Strategic Grant Schemes.

Again as I have outlined, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, together with the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, has announced the establishment of a Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund of €150m, to be matched by €50m in local authority funding, to relieve critical access and supporting infrastructural blockages and enable the delivery of large-scale housing on key development sites, with the potential to open up lands and deliver significant level of new housing in Dublin and other urban areas.  Once details of the arrangements relating to the Fund are finalised and a call for proposals issues later this year, it is open to local authorities, including Cork County Council, to consider submitting a bid proposal to access such funding for suitable projects.